GALLERIES -DOWNTOWN TONY MA TELLI The gallery inaugurates its new space with a pair of rambunctious sculptures by Tony Matelli which riff on classical themes: the hunter and the man in revèrie. These self-portraits caricature the artist before and after sexual conquest in tableaux that resemble both museum dioramas and Happy Meal action figures magnified to human scale. Matelli portrays himself with a disproportionately large head à la Alfred E. Neuman. But aside from this clistortion, the sculp- tures are disarminglv lifelike. Through Jan. 13. (Koenig, 249 Centre St. 334-9255.) Short List CHRISTOPHE BÜCHEL Maccarone, 45 Canal St. 431-4977. Through Jan. 5. GALLERIES -BROOKLYN MIRIAM DYM I REED ANDERSON AND JEF SCHARF The Californian Dym is best known for room-size installations; here she offers virtual spaces instead, in the form of giant colorful architectural drawings. "Ramp Buckets Room" is a sort of fantasy studio, all consoles and walkways, with an easel-like con- traption in the center. Though computer graphics and underground comics are clearly part of Dym's mix of sources, she seems ebulliently sui generis; at times, her crosshatched whimsical rigor suggests a sci-fi version of Edward Gorey. In the front gallery, Anderson and Scharf offer an amiable profusion of cartoony pictographs that will remind some view- ers of another Ninth Street, back in the East Village. Through Jan. 7. (Pierogi, 177 N. 9th St, Williams- burg. 718-599-1666.) DAVID OPDYKE Opdyke continues to turn current events into fodder for his semi-frivolous ingenuity. Electoral maps, cor- porate icons, and candidates' names are matched with motors, models, and L.E.D.s. The results are often sardonically diverting, as in a spinning word shuffler that produces Surrealist imperatives like "Arrest Slobodan bin Laden" and "Impeach Made- leine Lewinsky." At best, though, as in "Aviation Agglomeration," a suspended molecule of tiny brief- cases, the objects themselves have an open-ended resonance that counters the artist's predilection for shtick. Through Jan. 12. (RoeblingHall, 390 Wythe Ave., Williamsburg. 718-599-5352.) IIPEPPERMINT II This collection of sex-related work begins by flashing its underwear-slips on hangers and portraits in tighty whities-then continues to tease. Kelly Hashimoto's PowerPoint presentation ". . . And Her Boys" offers tidy charts of untidy alliances, while Nicolás Dumi-Estévez's tropical-fruit cooking video stars himself, in red lipstick and fingernails. J ana Leo de BIas's canopied bed made out of bubble wrap behaves even more provocatively bv addressing viewers directly, instructing them to "take off your shoes, go in, take off your clothes, open your skin, do it." The sheets are mussed but the condom provided by the artist is still sealed and hanging from the bed- post. Through Jan. 13. (Smack Mellon Studios, 56 Water St., Dumbo. 718-834-8761.) PHOTOGRAPHY EUGÈNE A TGET Viewers fond of Atget's thoughtfu] photographs of bourgeois architecture may be surprised by "Docu- menting the Zone," which records his wanderings in Paris's zone militaire, with its patched fences, wooden ;j5 trailers, scraggly cats, and ragpickers. Among the im- to provised shelters he documents, one remarkably aus- tere structure stands out: a long, low building backed up against a canal, covered almost entirely in thin, venetian-blind-like slats, an unsettlingly indefinable building that could be a laundry or a tannery or a Mies van der Rohe twenty years before its time. Through Jan. 19. (Ubu, 16 E. 78th St. 794-4444.) SEYDOU KEïT A From 1948 to 1962, Keïta ran a studio in Bamako, Mali, with an eight-by-ten-inch camera and some props: a raclio, a Vespa, a patterned bedspread. Sit- ters came from all over the countryside wearing combinations of traditional flowing robes and West- ern dresses and suits, which makes for an arresting document of both African tribal culture and fifties mod style. Only within the past few years has Keïta, who died last November, begun to receive his due in America. These forty portraits provide a gorgeous introduction to the rarely seen work of the "image king of Africa." Through Feb. 2. (Sean Kelly, 528 29th St. 239-1181.) LINDA MC CARTNEY (1941-2000) "The Light from Within: Photojournals" follows the photographer and wife of Paul in her journey from rock reporter to rock reportee: "Press, Chile" (1993) looks out at a wall of cameras and one grin- ning woman who has set hers down to say cheese. Though the exhibition offers lyrical work, like "Flowers in the Dirt, London" (1989), the best pic- tures here take advantage of the artist's singular mar- riage: "Paul, Stella, and James, Scotland" (1982) shows the former Wings front man standing on a tree-trunk fence in his bathrobe, watching the young TABLES FOR TWO JÞIT W ALLSÉ 344 W 11th St. (352-2300)-At this snug, some- times boisterous spot, which attracts both homesick Austrians and the city's more sombre food lovers, the proprietor and chef Kurt Gutenbrunner shows what his native country's specialties can achieve when they are prepared with understated grace. The tiny twin storefronts, with whitewashed brick walls and blurry architectural photos, are more Josef Hoffmann than Gustav Klimt, but they are some- how grand in their simplicity, just like the food. Chestnut soup, billed on the menu as a "Vien- nese Mélange," is a creamy holiday treat spiked with cognac. But the oxtail consommé is kind of de- pressing, all traclition and purity. The savory spaet- zle, flavored with Quark-a fresh curd cheese that comes across like sour cream-are fortified by braised rabbit and wild mushrooms. And the potato roesti is perfectly balanced between crispness and fluff-supporting a punchy coalition of salmon tartare, salmon caviar, and watercress. Wiener schnitzel is the chicken-fried steak of Central Europe, and Wallsé's lack of pretension suits the humble breaded veal cutlet, which is juicy and light. The second most important Viennese dish for traditionalists is Tafelspitz, but no matter how nicely beef is boiled, the eating becomes a chore about halfway through, even though the side of creamed spinach helps matters. The menu's Hun- garian ringer,- beef goulash, is surprisingly light and balanced, with none of the usual over-paprikaed- leftover taste. Pastries are sacred in Vienna, and there's a great entrée option here: cod strudel with melted tomatoes, tarragon, and Riesling sauce. More traditional pastries turn up at dessert: apple strudel, Salzburger Nockerl, and crêpelike Palatschinken, with oranges. The standout is the poached dumplings filled with mo,e Quark and coated in sautéed bread crumbs and)ground nuts. The wine list offers the opportunity for an easygo- ing, inexpensive education in Austrian wines, from Gruener Veltliners to Blaufraenkisches, among them a terrific spicy red that is fun to say aloud-Hein- rich's Pannobile Rot. (Open daily for dinner only. Entrées $20-$28.) -Owen Phillips James launch himself in midair toward his sister. Through Jan. 5. (Benrubi, 52 E. 76th St. 517-3766.) BARBARA MORGAN The photographer of early modern dance used the medium not just to document but to interpret move- ment. In portraits of Martha Graham, J osé Limón, Merce Cunningham, and others, Morgan's compo- sitional choreography seems designed to match the movement of the dance. In "War Theme," from 1941, Martha Graham leans into the frame from the left side, her neck thrown back so her hair flows across the picture, as her long black skirt billows behind her and across the frame-the great chore- ographer seems to snap forward in a breeze of her own invention. Through Jan. 12. (Silverstein, 504 W 22nd St. 627-3930.) MASAO YAMAMOTO The Japanese artist has named his show of stained and worn snapshots "Nakazora," after the Bud- dhist term for "the space between sky and earth, the place where birds, etc., fly." The images, more than two hundred taped to the gallery wall to form a con- stellation, are focussed and specific. But their arche- typal subjects are ambiguous enough (a caged polar bear, a poised calico cat, a wide shadow across a narrow path) to generate an emotional response. Through Jan. 19. (Richardson, 535'W 22nd St. 646-230-9610.) IIAT HOME IN FRANCE II Three North American photographers in France, who work almost exclusively in black -and-white, with the exception of a few color trails in Richard Ballarian's prints. Robert Mann and Ian Patterson offer pinhole landscapes with a whiff of tourism: Mann explores Touraine, while Patterson walks the Seine. His dollhouse-size calotypes of Paris's bridges, made in cameras rigged from film canisters, copper foil, and electrical tape, are the show's child stars: they're charming scene-stealers, but if they got any bigger, they wouldn't be cute. Through Jan. 10. (Al- liance Française, 22 E. 60th St. 355-6100.) 118 X lOll Ansel Adams taught Harry Callahan, who taught Emmett Gowin; all three shot in nature using eight- by-ten view cameras. None of Adams's work ap- pears here, but the influence of his rutWess no-stone- unfocussed style is palpable. Callahan modified the Master's manner by abstracting it, keeping his allover focus but making depth and scale uncertain to create a sense of instability. Gowin, while in- formed by both men, seems to be toying with our expectations: in his work, a pile of garbage can be- come a Martian landscape. Through Jan. 12. (Pace MacGill, 32 E. 57th St. 759-7999.) INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF PHOTOGRAPHY 1133 Sixth Ave., at 43rd St. 857-0000- The gal- leries are closed for installation until Jan. 11. (Open Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10-5; Fridays, 10-8; Saturdays and Sundays, 10-6.) Short List PAVEL BANKA Klotz/Sirmon, 511 W. 25th St. 327-2211. Through Feb. 2. E. J. BELLOCQ Saul, 535 W 22nd St. 627-2410. Through Feb. 2. WYNN BULLOCK (1902-1975) Miller, 20 W. 57th St. 397-3930. Through Jan. 5. IMOGEN CUNNINGHAM (1883-1976) Stevenson, 338 W. 23rd St. 352-0070. Through Jan. 5. JOEL STERNFELD Pace/MacGill, 534 W. 25th St. 759-7999. CLASSICAL MUSIC OPERA METROPOLITAN OPERA "Hänsel und Gretel," the ideal children's opera, re- turns once again for the holiday season, featuring a cast more than strong enough to satisfy discriminat- ing grownup tastes. Dawn Upshavv- and Jennifer Larmore take the title roles, joined by Judith Forst, Stephanie Blythe, and Kim Josephson; Charles Mac- kerras conducts. Gan. 2 at 7.). Mackerras conducts THE NEW YORKER, JANUARY 7, 2002 13